JP2000225953A - Tilt and telescopic type steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow the driver to get in and out a vehicle without difficulty and absorb the impulse energy of a steering column in the secondary crush of the vehicle by making the steering column spring up by a simple operation when the driver sit down on or stand up from the driver's seat. SOLUTION: A groove 20 extending a tilt groove 4 is formed in the side wall of a tilt bracket 3, and a locking member 24 is also provided to engage with the engaging head section 10a of a clamping bolt 10 for locking when a steering column is sprung up and the clamp bolt 10 is inserted into the spring up groove 20 from the tilt groove 4. In addition, at a position adjacent to the spring up groove 20 of the tilt bracket 3, projected sections 22 and 23 are provided to absorb impulse energy by making the side faces of clamp levers slide each other when a vehicle crushes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tilt / tilt system capable of adjusting a tilt angle and a height of a steering wheel of a vehicle.
More specifically, a telescopic steering device is described in detail in that the steering column is jumped up by a simple operation when the driver leaves or takes a seat to improve the driver's getting on and off, and the steering column in the event of a secondary collision of the vehicle. The present invention relates to a tilt telescopic steering device capable of absorbing shock energy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The tilt angle of a steering wheel is adjusted by tilting a steering shaft according to the physique and driving posture of a driver, and the height of the steering wheel is increased by extending and retracting a steering column in the axial direction. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a tilt telescopic steering device capable of adjusting the height. In a cab-over type vehicle, the steering shaft is
For example, it is often provided upright at an inclination angle of 58 to 75 °.

[0003] This cab-over type vehicle has a tilt /
The structure equipped with a telescopic steering device is actually open 4
It is disclosed in JP-A-110672. In this publication, a steering column is configured to be swingable with respect to a tilt bracket fixed to a vehicle body, and the steering column is provided with a distance bracket pressed by the tilt bracket. A telescopic groove is formed in the distance bracket on the column side, and a tightening bolt rotated by a tightening lever is inserted into both the tilt groove and the telescopic groove. I have.

When the tightening lever is rotated by the driver to adjust the inclination angle and height of the steering wheel, the tightening bolt rotates and the adjusting nut moves in the axial direction, thereby causing the tilt on the vehicle body side. The friction sliding between the bracket and the distance bracket on the column side can be released, so that the tightening bolt can be moved along the tilt groove or the telescopic groove so that the steering column can be freely tilted or expanded and contracted. The steering wheel tilt angle and height can be adjusted as desired.

Thereafter, when the tightening lever is rotated in the reverse direction by the driver's operation, the tightening bolt is rotated in the reverse direction, and the adjusting nut moves in the axial direction in the reverse direction. The column and the distance bracket on the column side can be frictionally slid, so that the steering column can be fixed so as not to tilt and expand and contract in the adjusted state.

[0006]

By the way, when a tilt-telescopic steering device is mounted on a cab-over type vehicle in which a steering column is provided upright, when a driver tries to get up from a seat,
Set the steering column to the tilt range (e.g.
There is a demand to improve the ride-on / off property of the driver when the driver leaves or sits away from the vehicle, so as to jump up to about 75 °). Generally, as a structure for flipping up the steering column, a flipping groove for extending the tilt groove and guiding the tilt bolt at the time of flipping up is formed.

There is also a demand that the impact energy applied to the steering column at the time of a secondary collision of the vehicle be absorbed at the position of the tilt telescopic steering device.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 4-110672,
In order to absorb the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision, a curl portion that is bent by the impact and absorbs the impact is formed in the distance bracket on the column side. However, at the time of a secondary collision, after the tightening bolt moves the tilt groove to the tilt upper position (the uppermost position where the steering column can be tilted), the curl portion is bent to absorb the impact. Therefore, it is not possible to adopt a structure in which the tilt groove is extended to form a flip-up groove for flipping up the steering column. May not be installed together.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-6344, a thin groove for absorbing the impact is formed by extending the tilt groove to absorb the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision.
Therefore, also in this case, the structure in which the tilt groove is extended to form the flip-up groove of the steering column cannot be adopted, so that the impact absorption at the time of the secondary collision and the above-described flip-up of the steering column are not performed. Sometimes it is not possible to add them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and has a simple operation to jump up a steering column when a driver leaves or takes a seat, thereby improving the driver's getting on and off. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tilt-telescopic steering apparatus which is improved and capable of absorbing impact energy of a steering column at the time of a secondary collision of a vehicle.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a tilt telescopic steering apparatus according to the present invention is provided by rotating a tightening lever in one direction so that a tilt bracket on a vehicle body side and a steering column side. The frictional sliding with the distance bracket is released, and the steering column is tilted or expanded and contracted while moving the tightening bolt along the tilt groove formed in the tilt bracket or the telescopic groove formed in the distance bracket, while tightening. A tilt-telescopic steering system in which a tilted lever is rotated in the opposite direction to frictionally slide the tilt bracket and the distance bracket, and the steering column is fixed so as not to tilt and expand and contract after the tilt / telescopic adjustment. In the apparatus, the tilt groove extends to the tilt bracket. When the steering column is flipped up and the tightening bolt is inserted from the tilt groove into the flip-up groove, the steering column is engaged with the engaging head of the tightening bolt. A locking member for locking is provided, and a convex portion for absorbing impact energy by slidably contacting a side surface of the tightening lever at the time of a vehicle collision is provided near the flip-up groove of the tilt bracket. It is characterized by.

As described above, according to the present invention, the tilting groove is extended to form the flip-up groove, and the locking member is engaged with the engaging head of the tightening bolt to lock. Is provided. Therefore, the fastening lever is half released, the steering column is flipped up, the locking bolt is moved along the flip-up groove, and then the locking bolt engaging head is locked by the locking member. The column can be maintained in a state of being flipped up almost vertically. Further, when releasing the flip-up state of the steering column, the engaging head of the tightening bolt can be released from the lock member by rotating the tightening lever in the releasing direction, and the steering column can be released. It can be returned to the normal state. Therefore, as described above, when the driver leaves or takes a seat, the steering column is flipped up by a simple operation, so that the driver's getting on and off can be improved.

In addition, a convex portion is provided near the flip-up groove of the tilt bracket for absorbing the impact energy by sliding the side surface of the tightening lever when the vehicle collides. At times, the side of the tightening lever slides into contact with the convex part, so that the impact energy at the time of secondary collision can be absorbed.At the same time, the simple shock absorbing structure reduces manufacturing costs. Can be planned. By changing the shape of the projection, the sliding contact force between the tightening lever and the projection can be adjusted in accordance with the magnitude of the absorbed impact energy.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A tilt telescopic steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the tilt telescopic steering apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where the tilt is at the lowest position and the telescopic is also at the lowest position. FIG. 3 is a side view of the tilt / telescopic steering apparatus shown in FIG. 1, showing a state where the tilt is at a lowermost position and a telescopic is at an uppermost position; and FIG. 3 is a view showing the tilt / telescopic type shown in FIG. 1. It is a cross-sectional view of a steering device.

As shown in FIG. 1, a steering shaft 1 is rotatably accommodated in a steering column 2 and a tilt bracket 4 fixed to a vehicle body has a tilt groove 4.
Is formed in a curved shape, and a telescopic groove 6 is formed in the distance bracket 5 attached to the steering column 2 in a straight shape. A support plate 8 is provided on a holding portion 7 provided at a lower portion of the steering column 2, and a long hole 9 is formed in the support plate 8 in a straight shape.

A tightening bolt 10 to which a tightening lever 11 is attached is inserted into the tilt groove 4 and the telescopic groove 6, and a guide pin 12 acting as a fulcrum is inserted into the elongated hole 9 of the support plate 8. Have been. Also, as shown in FIG.
An adjusting nut 13 is screwed into the tightening bolt 10, and the adjusting nut 13 is held non-rotatably by a rotation preventing member 14. Thus, when the tightening lever 11 is rotated and released, the tightening bolt 10 rotates as shown in FIG. 3 and the adjusting nut 13 moves in the axial direction, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. While moving the tightening bolt 10 along the tilt groove 4, the steering column 2 can be turned around the guide pin 12, and the tightening bolt 10 can be simultaneously moved along the telescopic groove 6 with the guide pin 12. The steering column 2 can be moved up and down while moving along the long hole 9.

Although not shown, a well-known cam mechanism is used in place of the bolt 10 and the adjust nut to make the distance bracket 5 slidable with respect to the tilt bracket 3 so as to tilt and / or telescopic the steering column. Adjustment may be performed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the flip-up groove 20 is formed so as to extend and continue the tilt groove 4. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the tilt groove 4, the tightening bolt 10 is moved between “up tilt” and “down tilt”, and in the flip-up groove 20, “up tilt”. The tightening bolt 10 is moved between the position and the "bounce-up".

Further, a sliding contact wall (rib) on which the tip end portion 11a of the tightening lever 11 is in sliding contact above the flip-up groove 20.
21 are formed. Thereby, as described later,
When flipping up, the distal end 11a of the tightening lever 11 is slid on the sliding contact wall 21 to guide the distal end 11a, and when flipping up, the distal end 11a of the tightening lever 11 contacts the sliding contact wall 21. The interference prevents the tightening lever 11 from being brought into the tightened holding state, and prevents the steering column 2 from being fixed above the "tilt" position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the tightening lever 1 is provided near the upper and lower sides of the flip-up groove 20 in the event of a vehicle collision.
Protrusions 22 and 23 are provided for absorbing the impact energy by sliding the side surfaces of the first side. Thereby, as described later, the side surface of the tightening lever 11 is slidably contacted with the convex portions 222 and 23 at the time of a vehicle collision or the like, so that the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision can be absorbed.

Further, by changing the protruding shapes of the protruding portions 22, 23, the sliding contact force between the side surface of the tightening lever 11 and the protruding portions 22, 23 is adjusted according to the magnitude of the absorbed impact energy. be able to. For example, as shown in FIG.
Is formed so as to gradually increase the protrusion amount, whereby the sliding contact force can be increased, and the absorption load of impact energy can be increased.

Further, the steering column 2 is flipped up, and the fastening bolt 10 is flipped up from the tilt groove 4.
Is inserted into the engaging head 10a of the tightening bolt 10.
Is provided with a lock member 24 for engaging and locking at the notch 24a. The lock member 24 is urged counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by urging means such as a spring (not shown). In order to release the locked state of the lock member 24, as shown in FIG. 8, the tightening lever 11 is provided with a pin 11b for rotating the lock member 24 clockwise. However, the pin 11b may be a pin-shaped projecting portion instead of the pin as long as the lock member 24 is rotated clockwise to release the locked state. The clamping lever 11 may be formed by cutting and bending the end of the lever 11.

Next, a case where the steering column 2 is flipped up in a substantially vertical state will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1 and shows a case where the tightening lever is located at a lowermost position of the tilt. FIG. 5 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1 when the lever with the lever is located at the uppermost position of the tilt, showing a case where the steering column has started to flip up, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view of the tilt bracket, showing a case where the steering column is flipped up and locked, and FIG. 8 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1, showing a case where the flip-up lock is released.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the tightening lever 11 is located at the lowermost position of the tilt, the tightening lever 11 is tightened and fixed as shown by a solid line in the tilt telescopic tightening state. On the other hand, in the tilt / telescopic release state, the tightening lever 11 is turned off.
Is rotated about 90 °, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the tightening lever 11 is located at the uppermost position of the tilt, the tightening lever 11 is tightened and fixed as shown by a solid line in the tilt telescopic tightening state. In addition, at the time of tilt adjustment, at a position above the "tilt up" position,
When the tightening bolt 10 enters the flip-up groove 20 from the tilt groove 4, even if the tightening lever 11 attempts to rotate to tighten, the distal end 11 a of the tightening lever 11 interferes with the sliding contact wall 21, The tightening lever 11 cannot be turned to the tightened state, so that a sufficient holding force due to the frictional sliding of the brackets 3 and 5 cannot be obtained.
At a position above the “tilt-up” position, the steering column 2 is configured so as not to be fixed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the steering column 2
When the lever is flipped up to a substantially vertical state, the tightening lever 11 is half released, that is, approximately 4
When turned 5 °, the steering column 2
Neither the tilt nor the telesco become unrestrained. Therefore, the steering column 2 is flipped up almost vertically,
The tightening bolt 10 is inserted from the tilt groove 4 into the flip-up groove 20. Thus, the distal end portion 11a of the tightening lever 11 can be guided while sliding along the sliding contact wall 21, so that the tightening bolt 10 can be lifted up while holding the tightening lever 11 in a half-released state. Can move along.

As shown in FIG. 7, the steering column 2
When the tightening bolt 10 is inserted up to the end of the flip-up groove 20, the engaging head 10 a of the tightening bolt 10 is fitted into the notch 24 a of the lock member 24. As a result, the lock member 24 urged by a spring or the like (not shown) holds the tightening bolt 10 in the locked state, and the steering column 2 jumps up substantially vertically as shown by the phantom lines in FIGS. And the driver is able to keep the steering wheel in
You can leave or sit down smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 8, to release the flip-up state of the steering column, the tightening lever 11 is rotated in the release direction. As a result, the lock member 24
The pin 11b of the tightening lever 11 rotates clockwise against the urging force, and the engaging head 10 of the tightening bolt 10
The locked state of “a” can be released, and the steering column 2 can be returned to the normal state, and the tilt or the telescopic adjustment may be appropriately performed.

Next, as described above, when the steering column 2 is flipped up in a substantially vertical state, the tightening lever 11 is in a half-released state, so that both the tilt and the telescopic are not tightened and fixed. It has become. Therefore, for example, when the driver hangs on the steering wheel, the steering wheel is pushed down to the lowest position of the telescopic. Therefore, even when the steering column 2 is flipped up, it is necessary to fix the steering column 2 in a telescopic manner. Fig. 9 shows the telescopic fixing at this time.
Shown in 9 (a), 9 (b) and 9 (c) respectively show a telescopic fixing step when the steering column is flipped up, and FIG. 9 (d) is an enlarged side view of the telescopic lock member.

As shown in FIG. 3, the telescopic lock member 30 is urged clockwise in FIG. 9 by urging means such as a spring (not shown) to the tightening bolt 10 inserted into the telescopic groove 6. It is provided so that it can rotate freely. The distance bracket 5 is provided with a large number of locking holes 31 with which the tip claws of the telescopic locking member 30 engage. Further, a cutout groove 30a is formed in the telescopic lock member 30, and a projection 30b is formed in the tightening bolt 10 to engage with the cutout groove 30a to release the telescopic lock member 30. ing.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), when the tightening bolt 10 is rotated so that the projection 30b of the tightening bolt 10 is located at the upper position, the telescopic lock member 30 is rotated. Is urged in the clockwise direction in FIG. 9 by a spring or the like.
Since the zero tip claw is not positioned at the height at which it engages with the locking hole 31, it is in an unlocked state.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the tightening bolt 10
So that the projection 30b is located at the horizontal position.
When 0 is turned, the protrusion 30b of the tightening bolt 10 engages with the notch groove 30a, and turns in a direction to release the telescopic lock member 30 against the urging force. Therefore, the lock is released.

As shown in FIG. 9C, the tightening bolt 10
When the tightening bolt 10 is rotated so that the projection 30b of the telescopic lock is located at the upper position, the telescopic lock member 30 is urged clockwise in FIG. The tip claw of the member 30 is engaged with the locking hole 31 and is in a locked state.

Therefore, when the steering column 2 is flipped up in a substantially vertical state, as shown in FIG. 9 (c), the tightening bolt 10 is moved so that the projection 30b of the tightening bolt 10 is located at the upper position. If the driver is turned and the tip claw of the telescopic lock member 30 is locked by being engaged with the lock hole 31, even if the driver hangs on the steering wheel, the lock is performed as described above. In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent the steering column 2 from being pushed down to the lowest position of the telescoping.

Next, a structure for absorbing impact energy at the time of a vehicle collision or the like will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
0 (a) is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1 and is a view for explaining an impact energy absorbing structure, and FIG. 10 (b) is an arrow indicated by a symbol b in FIG. 10 (a). It is sectional drawing of the convex part from a direction.

As described above, the protruding portions 22, 23 for absorbing the impact energy by sliding the side surfaces of the tightening lever 11 in the event of a vehicle collision, in the vicinity of the upper and lower sides of the flip-up groove 20.
Is provided.

Therefore, when a collision or the like of the vehicle occurs in a state where the vehicle is fixed to the tilt and telescopic state and a secondary collision occurs, the side surface of the tightening lever 11 comes into sliding contact with the convex portions 22 and 23, and the sliding contact force is applied. , Can absorb the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision.

Also, by changing the shape of the projections 22 and 23 in various ways, the side surfaces of the tightening lever 11 and the projections 22 and 23 can be changed according to the magnitude of the impact energy to be absorbed.
Can be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 10 (b), if the protruding portions 22 and 23 are formed so that the protruding amounts thereof gradually increase toward the front side of the vehicle, the sliding contact force can be increased, and as a result, the impact can be increased. The energy absorption load can be increased.

As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 10A, when the tightening lever 11 slides forward of the vehicle beyond the "tilt" position at the time of a collision, the tightening lever 1
In some cases, the tip portion 11a may interfere with the end of the sliding contact wall 21. Also in this case, the absorption load of the impact energy can be increased.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a tilt / tilt according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a side view of the telescopic steering device, and FIG.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the tilt and telescopic steering device shown in FIG. 11.

In the second embodiment, the flip-up structure of the steering column 2 is exactly the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, various notches 40 are provided in the distance bracket 5 to absorb the impact energy at the time of a secondary collision such as a vehicle collision.

Therefore, when a collision or the like of the vehicle occurs in a state where the tilt and the telescopic are fixed, and the secondary collision occurs, the above-described various notches 40 are deformed, and the impact energy can be absorbed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the distance bracket 5 also functions as a shock absorbing plate.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A flip-up groove is formed extending from the tilt groove, and a lock member is provided for engaging and locking the engaging head of the tightening bolt. Therefore, the fastening lever is half released, the steering column is flipped up, the locking bolt is moved along the flip-up groove, and then the locking bolt engaging head is locked by the locking member. The column can be maintained in a state of being flipped up almost vertically. Further, when releasing the flip-up state of the steering column, the engaging head of the tightening bolt can be released from the lock member by rotating the tightening lever in the releasing direction, and the steering column can be released. It can be returned to the normal state. Therefore, as described above, when the driver leaves or takes a seat, the steering column is flipped up by a simple operation, so that the driver's getting on and off can be improved.

Further, a convex portion is provided near the flip-up groove of the tilt bracket for slidingly contacting the side surface of the tightening lever at the time of a vehicle collision to absorb impact energy. At times, the tightening lever slides on the convex part to absorb the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision, and at the same time, to reduce the manufacturing cost due to the simple impact absorbing structure. Can be. By changing the shape of the projection, the sliding contact force between the tightening lever and the projection can be adjusted in accordance with the magnitude of the absorbed impact energy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a tilt telescopic steering device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where a tilt is at a lowermost position and a telescopic is also at a lowermost position.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tilt / telescopic steering apparatus shown in FIG. 1, showing a state where the tilt is at a lowermost position and the telescopic is at an uppermost position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tilt telescopic steering device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1, showing a case where a tightening lever is located at a lowermost position of the tilt;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1, showing a case where a tightening lever is located at a tilt uppermost position.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1, showing a case where the steering column starts to be flipped up.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1, showing a case where a steering column is flipped up and locked.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1, showing a case where a flip-up lock is released.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C each show a telescopic fixing step when the steering column is flipped up, and FIG. 9D is an enlarged side view of the telescopic lock member.

10A is a side view of the tilt bracket shown in FIG. 1 and is a view for explaining an impact energy absorbing structure, and FIG. 10B is shown by reference numeral b in FIG. 10A. Sectional drawing of a convex part from the arrow direction.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a tilt telescopic steering device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the tilt / telescopic steering device shown in FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering shaft 2 Steering column 3 Tilt bracket 4 Tilt groove 5 Distance bracket 6 Telescopic groove 7 Enclosure part 8 Support plate 9 Long hole 10 Tightening bolt 10a Engagement head 11 Tightening lever 11a Tip part 12 Guide pin 13 Adjust nut DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Rotation prevention member 20 Flip-up groove 21 Sliding contact wall 22 Convex part 23 Convex part 24 Lock member 24a Notch part 30 Telescopic lock member 30a Notch groove 30b Projection 31 Lock hole 40 Notch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tightening lever is rotated in one direction to release frictional sliding between a tilt bracket on a vehicle body side and a distance bracket on a steering column side, and a tilt groove formed in the tilt bracket or the distance bracket is formed. The steering column is tilted or expanded and contracted while moving the tightening bolt along the telescopic groove formed at the same time, and the tightening lever is rotated in the opposite direction to frictionally slide the tilt bracket and the distance bracket. A tilt / fixing the steering column so as not to tilt and expand / contract after the tilt / telescopic adjustment.
In the telescopic steering device, the tilt bracket is formed with a tilting groove by extending the tilt groove, and the steering column is flipped up to move the tightening bolt from the tilt groove to the flipping groove. When inserted,
A locking member for engaging and locking the engaging head of the tightening bolt is provided, and a side surface of the tightening lever is slidably contacted with the tilting bracket of the tilt bracket in the vicinity of the flip-up groove during a vehicle collision. A tilt-telescopic steering device, comprising a convex portion for absorbing impact energy.